Creating the Vision

***Spoiler Alert*** If you are a friend who will be at my wedding, and you want to keep the decoration/theme details a surprise, I advise that you do not read on***

As some of you may have already read, I have a soft spot (that's putting it mildly) for Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Nights Dream', and I am striving to incorporate the whimsical, romantic feel of the fairies in the forest for the wedding.
As with all good plays and books everyone who has read MSND will have pictured the setting in different ways, some will visualise the fairies in metallic neutrals, others will visualize the settings in pastel tones, while at my old school the fairies were caught in a time-warp and with bright multi-coloured hippies of the 1960's.

For me the play conjures up images of three-quarter sized humanoids (gosh there's the Trekkie in me coming out) who easily blend into the flora of a forest clearing, I think of warm breezes through the short night, where flowers bloom creating a sensual smell as well a  beautiful setting for the romantic mischief that unfolds. I picture it in dusty pastels, natural greens and browns all with a silvery hue and blurred at the edges.
I think of the humans, drawn to a forest clearing, surrounded by dense but welcoming woodland. It creates a sense of playfulness while maintains a sense of occasion (with weddings and a fairy royal court, and Titania a fabulous queen)... it's fairytale Romance, in a non-traditional form.

It is a play that is set on a specific day, the shortest night, a time that (I think) will have always played on people's imagination; where our world and those hidden from view can come together.
So how do I draw on this imagery when our wedding is (almost) at the opposite side of the year?
I had two options: 1) I just go for it and try and create mid-summer in mid-winter or 2) I take the magical forest setting and imagine what it would be like in winter, how would it retain its magical, romantic aurora without the soft breezes and the flowering blooms?
I chose the second option - having chosen a winter date, I don't now want to plan a summer style wedding and hide from the beauty that can be found in the colder months.

So as well as this 'MSND in winter' concept there a few other things I would like to include in the decor/theme of our day:

Candles: I love them, they are welcoming and romantic and I find them very relaxing. If I could I would love big open fires, but due to the age and protected status of the Guildhall, this isn't possible.




Hands on: As well as my own passion for making things, I have very talented family and friends. For me it would have been silly to have a wedding and not do a lot of it myself, also it means I get to have an extra amount of control over details and ideas. This even extends to the service, which is being led by a colleague (I work for a church), where I hope to tweak a few elements.


Little waste: I'm going to be honest, I'm not as 'green' as I could be, but when it comes to a day of lavish expense, I want it to cost as little as it can to the planet (and hopefully to our wallets too). Where possible I want to use 'pre-loved' (the charity shops in town see me at least twice a week), recycled, loaned and bargain items. I want a plan for most of the decorations at the end of the day.



Reflecting the nature outside: rather than lots of flowers and out-of-season decorations, I really want to embrace the season.  We are stepping clear of anything Christmassy, no trees or holly, and I didn't feel a winter wonderland of ice blues and silver would create the earthy welcoming feel I was captured by when thinking of MSND.
Instead I wanted the earthiness of evergreens, the softness of landscape touched with frost and the warmth from stepping through a welcoming door.


So here is the question I was left with: How do I include all these elements to create a elegant and formal wedding setting while also ensuring that it isn't different for the sake of being different? (nothing wrong with different or quirky weddings, it just wouldn't reflect our tastes or personalities)

My solution is TEXTURE.
Rather than building up colour, I will use different plants, materials and resources to create decoration. It will still feel 'weddingy' and hopefully it will take people a few minutes to notice that there are few flowers.
As well as the paper decorations (please see my 'Pages of Style' series for more details), I have metal, hessian, ribbon and lace all playing a role, with the main features coming from candles and evergreens.

Bucket Pew End

Candles will be placed in the church windows and at the center of each reception table, all hopefully mounted of a slice of tree trunk. Tea lights will also adorn the pillars and decorate any ledge or surface I can reach.
For the pewends, an evergreen will be planted in a metal bucket, wrapped with a band of hessian and tied to the pew. Rather than altar flowers I want a collection of jars with tea lights to line the table and possibly willow twigs at the side.

Rose & Thistle Buttonhole

I do want amazing, but simple, flowers for bouquets, buttonholes and to add more texture on the (12!!) tables at the reception, and I am very lucky that I have a wonderful friend who's a florist who I can trust to do an amazing job. I have yet to meet with her but I would like to include white Roses, Thistles (BH is half Scottish and supports Scottish Rugby) and Ivy. I also have to have a sprig from a Myrtle plant my Grandma has grown (not entirely sure why I have to copy the Royal brides on this one), and as she will have spent the year tending to my growing pewend plants, I am happy to oblige in her request.



A few months ago I shared with you some of the details for the stationary, as well as the special fonts and the purple shade (chosen to reflect the thistles) I will also be incorporating the hessian and ribbon into the Invites, Order of Service and table settings. To build on the texture, we have chosen laid card, which we be using for all elements, and a soft metallic white card to add accent.

I hope you have enjoyed this whistle stop tour of my creative thinking for the details of the theme and decoration at the wedding. I am the first to admit my vision started in a slightly crazy place, but I have to say I am really beginning to love some of the ideas as the evolve into reality.

Back to turning book pages into decorations...

TTFN ~ Kate xx